A. Technical Field
The present invention relates to computer systems and, more particularly, to systems, devices, and methods of detecting emotions via gestures by users of computing systems.
B. Background of the Invention
As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use, such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
Some existing information handling systems are capable of performing various types of facial and voice analyses to aid in the detection of a user's emotional condition. Such mood analysis can be used to gain information about the impact of a product on a user of that product, for example, to determine user satisfaction. Other information handling systems apply mood analysis to a piece of software (e.g., gaming or educational software) in an attempt to detect user perception. Mood analysis may be used to detect whether a user perceived the software as performing too slowly. From this it may be inferred that the user is bored, frustrated, etc.
User gestures have been studied in academic research in the area of authentication (e.g., to distinguish users from each other) but gestures have not been used to estimate emotional conditions of a user, mainly because the use of applications on mobile devices does not lend itself to existing approaches for mood analysis.
What is needed are systems and methods that overcome the above-mentioned limitations and allow for the detection of the emotional state of a user interacting with a computing system, such that appropriate action can be initiated to achieve a desired outcome.